welcome to romney. >> reporter: romney is the oldest town in the oldest county in west virginia. and the republicans have been lobbying to get the presidential nominee who shares the town's name to stop by. >> we certainly look forward to having president mitt romney come and help celebrate with us. >> reporter: g.o.p. headquarters sits on one side of route 50. democrat be hq's -- democratic hq's just across the highway. and the chamber of commerce sits between them. >> talk family, talk schools, friends. just don't talk politics. >> reporter: they subscribe to the same philosophy at the courthouse corner cafe. >> politics are kind of bad for business. >> reporter: but it doesn't always work. >> i think obama is evil. >> reporter: evil? >> evil. >> personally i prefer obama. >> reporter: romney actually has a long history of nasty skirmishes. back in the civil war, the town reputedly went back and forth between union and confederate forces, some 56 times. >> abraham lincoln turned in one vote in hampshire county. >> reporter: democrats still outnumber republicans by a wide margin